gulfporter

Everything's better with burrata. And arugula. Even a reheated pizza slice.

I scored some burrata here in the hinterlands of Jalisco. Don't ask me what I paid for it; okay, it was equivalent of $15 USD for 16 oz. Here is 1/2 a 4 oz. ball over grilled hot Italian sausage and arugula.

Mi esposo made Tuxedo Crème Bruleés. Very happy with this recipe, https://www.chelseasmessyapron.com/tuxedo-creme-brulee/#wprm-recipe-container-54514

This was our TDay comida (main meal). Rabbit with prunes. Gravy was excellent!! Mi esposo calls rabbit, 'chewy chicken.' I thought this one was pretty tender, as rabbits go.

Pretty much this recipe though I started with leftover bbq rib meat from a delivery the other night. Wonton 'raviolos' with pickled cucumber, Asian sauce (sesame oil, rice vinegar, fish sauce) topped with toasted sesame seeds and peanuts and cilantro. I omitted the chorizo from the recipe. https://www.greatbritishchefs.com/recipes/pulled-pork-raviolo-recipe

If I was with 30 of my relatives I'd need more than a dash of Grand Marnier 😎

Grilled blackened salmon and pea brulée.

As a young poor newlywed with almost no cooking experience, I was gifted Pierre Franey's 60 Minute Gourmet when it was first published. I made all of the recipes in it as we didn't have budget for any other cookbook, nor was there an internet. I give him credit for introducing us to better foods in a format that was easy to read/understand with recipes containing ingredients that were affordable and readily available.

I bought a small kitchen torch from Amazon and this is from the box. ISO a recipe for roasting teeth molds.

Grilled salmon over white beans with a parsley salsa verde.

Mi esposo hates the traditional carb-laden Thanksgiving dinner (and dislikes turkey), so I've ordered rabbit that we will braise with prunes/white wine. The public market stalls here sell rabbits with the heads on, so you know it's not a cat (I swear this is true!). Years ago mi esposo had the unenviable task of head removal. This farmer will break the rabbit down into parts for us, sans cabeza.

Very big with African American families at any holiday meal, TDay and Christmas especially. This based on living in DC-Metro as well as a few years in the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia. When we had holiday parties at work the discussions/debates of mac and cheese were enlightening!

Grilled blackened shrimp over arugula salad.

This was menu from Steki in Alicante.

Update....we were away for 2 weeks and this is state of agave now. I can see the base leaves yellowing, as it gives up all its strength for the bloom. Which is about to hit the pool.

Pics of most of 10 course tasting menu at Lienzo in Valencia. Cucumbers Three Ways Eel with Fig Squid covered with Inky Edible Mesh We already took a bit...gel encased salmon mousse Corn Soup with Raw Shrimp White Bean and Wild Mushroom Consomme Goat cheese wrapped in local honey Lamb with gnocchi, turnip puree and black sea salt Dessert...honey in all forms imaginable

Burrata + Pizza, a marriage made in heaven. Other toppings: jamón, parmesan shavings, truffle. At a sidewalk pizza place in old town Alicante.

@Nancy in Pátzcuaro The Chapala gobierno started a recycling program in 2014...like your experience it was just separate bags hanging off the garbage truck. A new administration in 2018 spent a lot of money on handouts and meetings, asking residents to use 3 different colored bags for varying recyclables collected different days of the week. It was too expensive and confusing to the average resident. Never got off the ground. In 2019 in our village a few gringos started a private recycling program. They provided corner recycling bins and it caught on pretty fast with expats and locals. Enter the pandemic, and it was halted. It started up again about 4 months ago but the truck that picks them up is hit or miss, but we have high hopes. They have a 'recycling center' for sorting items. In addition to volunteers, expats are encouraged to ask their gardeners to go a few hours a week, and pay them their hourly wage for time spent there. I asked my jardinero if he was interested and José looked at me as if I asked him to leave his family and go fight the war in Ukraine. Dealing with trash is not glamorous in any country.

In Alicante, Spain. I have mastered boning charred/grilled sardines.

Our first morning in Alicante Spain, at their Mercado Centro. Much larger than I expected. Separate floors for meats, seafood, produce, flowers. We bought unlabeled vinos from casks; giant white beans to take home; coffee for our apartment rental and a bunch of super fancy desserts.

Blackened grilled salmon; green bean salad with cranberries and toasted pecans; cherry chipotle sauce.

Seared sesame crusted tuna. Avocado. Pickled red onions and wasabi mayo.

Gracias! Our VRBO hosts recommended Lienzo https://www.restaurantelienzo.com/ for my 70th birthday on the 27th. Will look into Salita as well. Mi esposo's BD is the 26th. It's a weeklong celebration for us 🍷💣🥂

https://forums.egullet.org/topic/153876-gardening-2016–/?do=findComment&comment=2359359 This is a 3 1/2 week update to my post above. The plant is starting to bloom from the bottom up. My gardener says that in Veracruz (where he is from) they call it an elefante (je je). He does not think it will die after the bloom. Vamos a ver.

Agree with Bayless and Kennedy. Kennedy more traditional; Bayless will sometimes update recipes a bit. Equally good.